Inside Out Weekend
Sermon Notes
On Inside Out Weekend, CityBridge gathered as one church outdoors before heading out to serve the city together. Brad Kirby took the whole church back to the very first Easter and to two words in Mark 16:7 that are easy to read right past: "and Peter." The angel at the empty tomb didn't just tell the women to find the disciples. He specifically called out Peter, the one who had denied Jesus three times just days before. Brad unpacked what those two words mean for anyone who has ever felt like their failure puts them too far out of reach, and what they mean for a church that is ready to stop sitting comfortable inside. God has always called his people to more than gather. He called them to go.
Key Takeaways
God called us to more than gather. From a hillside in Galilee to the morning of the first Easter, the command was always the same: go — not gather, not stay comfortable, but go with the gospel into the world.
The gospel is possible for everyone. "And Peter" is God's reminder that he has always chosen the broken, the failed, and the overlooked, and the message of second chances is exactly what the people in our city need to hear.
The gospel is personal. Jesus didn't just tell the women to find "the disciples." He called Peter by his new name, the name Jesus himself gave him, making clear that God sees individuals, not crowds.
The gospel is powerful. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power available in 2026, and a life truly changed by the gospel — like Peter's — cannot stay the same.
Inside Out is a lifestyle shift, not a one-day event. The call isn't to serve on one Saturday and return to normal. CityBridge is being called to become a church of servants who represent Jesus outside every single day.
Discussion Questions
Brad said the church is used to staying "inside" the sanctuary, our own friend networks, our own comfort zones. Where do you feel most comfortable staying inside?
Why do you think the angel in Mark 16:7 specifically called out Peter by name, instead of just saying "tell the disciples"?
Have you ever felt like your past mistakes put you too far out of reach for God to use? What has changed in how you think about that?
Jesus called Peter by his new name, not his old one. What does it mean to you that God sees who he made you to be rather than only who you've been?
Who in your life right now feels like they're stuck in "Good Friday," not knowing the story isn't over?
Brad said Inside Out isn't a one-day event but a lifestyle shift. What would that shift actually look like in your week?
This Week's Challenge
Pray for one specific person by name this week who needs to hear that the gospel is possible for them, and take one step toward sharing it.
Transcript
The Point of Being Outside
CityBridge gathered outside this morning, and Brad wanted the whole church to notice the obvious right away. No padded seats. No coffee station. No air conditioning. No normal routine. One church, all at once, under the same sky.
The point wasn't just to change the location. Brad was clear about that. God didn't lead CityBridge outside for a fun event. He led them outside because he wanted to change the posture of their hearts. Sometimes, Brad said, you have to be kicked out of the nest.
God Called Us to Do More Than Gather
The church across the country is used to being inside. Inside the sanctuary. Inside its own friend networks. Inside its own community groups. And most Sunday mornings end the same way: we pack up, walk out, and go about life as if nothing just happened.
All the while, the world outside is broken. People searching for hope, for forgiveness, for an answer they don't have words for yet. God's people are not called just to gather. On a hillside in Galilee two thousand years ago, Jesus made the job description clear: go.
"And Peter" — Mark 16:7
God gave Brad two words for this morning's pep talk. They come from the very first Easter, Mark 16:7, the moment the angel speaks at the empty tomb. He tells Mary Magdalene that Jesus has risen. Then he gives a command: go and tell the disciples. Two words follow that are easy to skip right over.
"And Peter."
That morning, those women had come expecting death. They showed up to mourn. Then everything changed. The stone was rolled away. And the very first command after the resurrection was to go and tell — specifically calling out the one who had denied Jesus three times just days before.
What "And Peter" Means
Why single out Peter? Peter had promised he would never abandon Jesus. He bragged about it. Then he walked away when it mattered most. If we were writing that story, most of us would write it differently. Forget Peter. Three strikes, you're out.
But Jesus didn't write it that way. "And Peter" means your failure is not the end of your story. Your sin doesn't disqualify you. God has not given up on Plano, on Collin County, on the people in the cars driving past this park right now. The enemy might feel strong, but he has nothing on a Jesus who already conquered the grave.
The Gospel Is Possible
The first P of the pep talk: the gospel is possible for everyone. From Genesis to the last page of your Bible, the whole story of God is a story of second chances. He picked a murderer to lead his people out of Egypt. He picked an adulterer to be a man after his own heart. He picked Jonah, a man running from his calling, to bring revival. He picks fishermen and tax collectors and prostitutes and outsiders.
When CityBridge goes out and serves and shares, this is the message: your past doesn't cancel your future. Your failure doesn't define your identity. Jesus still remembers your name and calls it.
The Gospel Is Personal
The second P: the gospel is personal. Jesus didn't just say "tell the disciples." He called Peter by his new name. Not Simon. Not Simeon. Peter. The name Jesus himself had given him. In John 10:3, Jesus says the shepherd calls his own sheep by name. That's exactly what he did here.
Peter would have heard those words and known immediately that the Lord had not given up on him. That's what God does. He doesn't see crowds. He sees individuals. The coworker you pass every day. The neighbor. The family member who feels like their story is over. Jesus went to the cross for each of them by name.
The Gospel Is Powerful
The third P: the gospel is powerful. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power available today. Look at what it did in Peter's life. The man who ran like a coward on Good Friday became the one preaching in Acts: "I cannot help but speak of the things I have seen and heard." He was beaten, locked up, and crucified upside down, and he considered it worthy.
A life truly changed by the gospel cannot stay the same. That resurrection power is still working. CityBridge carries it into the city every single day.
A Lifestyle Shift, Not a One-Day Event
Inside Out isn't meant to be a one-day event. The point of doing something different this morning is to mark a shift, not just a moment. CityBridge isn't being called to serve on one Saturday and then go back to normal. The call is to become servants. To represent Jesus out there, not just talk about him in here.
Brad closed by asking the church to go quiet and listen to the sounds of the city around them: cars driving by, airplanes overhead, life on the outside of these walls. His prayer was that CityBridge would never have a "normal" service again. That next Sunday back in the building would still feel inside out. And that the message they carry into the city would be the same two words: and you. There is room at the table.
